Japanese Application No. 7-290801 filed Nov. 9, 1995 and its translation are incorporated into this application by reference.
This invention pertains to systems for inputting information into a computer or other information handling system and, more particularly, to an input system particularly suitable for use with a touch sensitive display and particularly useful as a substitute for a "double click" input from a mouse or other pointing type input device.
As personal computers are employed in places other than offices, there is an increased demand for new input devices that can take the place of the user interface that involves the use of a keyboard and a mouse. As a result of the request for new input devices, attention has been directed to touch panels, which are devices that are attached to the screens of display devices and that accept data input accomplished by users touching the screens with their fingers. Currently, touch panels are already being used widely as terminal interfaces for financial and factory automation terminals.
Touch panels are roughly classified into two types; one type is shown in FIG. 5 wherein position information is detected using the change in sheet resistance that results from the touch of a finger, and an optical type (not shown) wherein position information is acquired by scanning the X-Y plane and detecting the shielding effect of a finger touching the display.
When an operator presses an arbitrary area on the surface of a touch panel with his or her finger, the touch panel outputs the location of the position pressed with the finger as X-Y two-dimensional position information. An example structure of a sheet resistance touch panel will now be briefly described with reference to FIG. 5. For the touch panel, a sheet for detecting the X directional position and a sheet for detecting the Y directional position are overlapped. FIG. 5 illustrates a sheet for one of the directions. The sheet is provided by attaching two rectangular transparent or translucent electrodes 2 and 4 opposite each other with an intervening layer that consists of a fluid insulation material (not shown). A predetermined direct current voltage V is applied between one side 6 of the transparent electrode 2 and an opposite side 8, and the other transparent electrode 4 is, for example, grounded at a side 10. When a finger touches the transparent electrode 2, it contacts the transparent electrode 4 causing a short-circuit, thereby changing the sheet resistance at the transparent electrode 2. This change in resistance is used to detect the location of the position touched by the finger. Sheets are used for both X and Y directions to provide a two-dimensional location of the point on the display that has been touched by the finger.
An example operation during which a finger is used to touch such a touch panel will now be explained while referring to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing one display screen of a personal computer to which a touch panel is attached. Two windows 24 and 30 for applications 1 and 2 are opened. Three other applications are displayed by using icons at the lower left of the screen.
If the window 24 for application 1 is to be transversely extended across the display screen, as is indicated by the transverse arrow, an area 16 that represents the right side vertical frame of the window 24 is touched by a finger, and while the finger is moved to the right in contact with the tough-panel, the area 16 is extended. Similarly, if the window 24 is to be enlarged in the direction indicated by the lower right diagonal arrow, a window in the lower right comer 18 is pressed with a finger and moved diagonally to the lower right, so that the window 24 is enlarged.
When the function for an icon "m" 20 in the window 24 is to be activated, a finger is placed within the frame for the icon "m" and the frame is tapped once (single-tapping) with the finger, so that the function for the icon "m" is activated. In the same manner, if a scroll bar 22 is to be operated, a finger is placed within the frame and single-tapping is used to scroll the frame.
When the window 24 is to be closed, a frame 14 at the upper left corner of the window 24 is tapped twice (double-tapping) with a finger. Similarly, when an icon 12 at the lower left corner on the screen is to be opened, double-tapping with a finger is performed within the frame for the icon.
By using the touch panel, an operator can use his or her finger to directly instruct the moving of a pointer on a display screen and the "clicking" of a pointer, which are functions that are conventionally performed by using a mouse (or other pointing type input device, such as a trackball) and a button provided on the mouse.
However, as the display resolutions for personal computers are being increased and the graphics displayed by applications are becoming complicated, the size of the windows to be displayed, the size of the graphics in the windows, and the sizes of icons are reduced. Further, while pointing and clicking are easily performed with a mouse, comparable operations with a finger are difficult to determine.
For the double-tapping of a touch panel with a finger, which corresponds to the double clicking of a mouse, accurate performance is extremely difficult, except for the case where the resolution of a display and the resolution for position detection on a touch panel is low, and the case where a special process is performed to especially extend an area for which double-tapping is available.
A conventional data input method using double-tapping requires that the exact, same place on a touch panel be pressed twice within a short time. This manipulation can be performed so long as the touch area is large. However, to move applications in a plurality of windows on a display, a high resolution that provides an effect that is similar to that provided by double clicking using a mouse is required, and conventional double-tapping cannot provide the desired effect.
Although touch input systems using fingers do not require special devices, such as a pen, and are excellent as user interfaces for devices that are used by many people, such as online terminals in banks or factory automation controllers, the employment of touch panels is limited because of the above described problems. Actually, in the above application fields, only a single-tapping function is demonstrated and a double-tapping function is not provided.
However, current general purpose operating systems, such as the OS/2.RTM. operating system, and most application programs presume that single clicking and double clicking of the left button of a mouse will be employed. To use these software programs with a touch panel, the touch panel must somehow be made to acknowledge double-tapping.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a new input method suitable as a substitute for a "double click" input from a mouse, or as a substitute for a double tap input to a touch panel. It is also an object of this invention to provide an apparatus to detect this new input method.